Cain Selected to So You Want To Be A Coach Program

ATLANTA - USC Aiken senior women's basketball player Catherine Cain was recently selected to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) So You Want To Be A Coach Program.

"I think this is a great honor for Catherine and our program here at USC Aiken," noted USC Aiken head women's basketball coach Mike Brandt. "She is well-deserving of this honor and I think this will be a great start to her coaching career; I think she will be a great coach in the future."

The two-and-a-half day workshop will be held April 2-4 in conjunction with the WBCA National Convention in San Antonio, Texas. The 2010 class marks the largest in the eight years of the program and is sponsored by the WBCA, the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion, NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics.

"The WBCA continues to remain committed to the development of women's basketball coaches and the So You Want To Be A Coach program has seen such a positive uptick over the last eight years," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "The WBCA will continue to make strides in this program and is dedicated to helping diversify the women's game."

The So You Want To Be A Coach Program was designed to increase the amount of women in the coaching profession, with an emphasis on female minorities by providing a workshop based on educational and professional principles to help those interested in the field.

The coaching lessons shared with these participants will assist in identifying, recruiting and retaining minority women in the profession of coaching.

At this year's workshop, the participants will have the opportunity to meet and learn from some high level professionals such as University of Oregon assistant coach Keila Whittington, St. Louis University head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller, University of Alabama at Birmingham head coach Audra Smith, and many others. The So You Want To Be A Coach program is made possible thanks to the NCAA Matching Grants for Advancement of Minority Women Coaches. 

For qualification, the potential candidate must have exhausted her final year of basketball eligibility at a four-year institution or have graduated within the past year. In addition, the candidate's head coach has to nominate them and must be an active WBCA member. Each participant is selected based on their academics, contributions to women's basketball on and off the court, professional resume and a written recommendati on from their hea d coach.

A senior transfer from Ohio, Cain is in her first and only season as a Pacer. Cain graduated with a Sports Industry degree from Ohio prior to joining the USC Aiken women's basketball program for the 2009-10 season. She is majoring in Sociology at USC Aiken.

Cain is currently leading the Pacers with 12.4 points per game. Cain is presently in the top 20 in the Peach Belt Conference in scoring, rebounding and free throw percentage.

Cain has been especially proficient at the free throw line in conference games where she has hit upon a league-best 82.7 percent (67-for-81) of her free throws.

Overall, Cain is averaging 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. She has scored in double figures in 18 games. She has collected a double-double (rebounds-points) in three games during the 2009-10 season.

Cain's best game came in USC Aiken's narrow loss to NCAA Division I Winthrop. Cain poured in a career-high 25 points in the game, connecting on five three-pointers in the contest.